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RUMOR CONTROL: Source:Digital Battle reported on the details, citing a leaked .pdf file sent to the site by a tipster.

What we heard: Digital Battle's article is based on a .pdf file with a features list for the unannounced Battlefield 3. The site said the file appeared to be intended for Electronic Arts investors, who supposedly should receive it by December. More than 20 bullet points paint a picture of the next full installment in EA's multiplayer military first-person shooter series, starting with its expected release date in late 2008.

According to the article, the game will be set in the modern day (like Battlefield 2), with an emphasis on Middle Eastern settings and support for up to 40 players per team on eight different maps. For the numbers crazy, each of Battlefield 3's two factions will have access to its own assortment of 24 different vehicles and 17 different weapons. The game will also supposedly feature unlockable equipment, customizable characters, and in-game replay functionality.

While the article says the game won't launch until the end of next year, gamers might get a crack at a possible public beta in the summer. However, the leaked info suggests the game will only be released for Windows Vista PCs and the Mac's OS X, with Windows XP users left out in the cold. An announcement for the game--along with a teaser trailer--are pegged by the article as coming in January.

While there's not a whole lot of evidence backing this story up (Digital Battle is not posting the .pdf, citing legal concerns), the list of features given for this Battlefield 3 doesn't sound especially out of the ordinary. By the time the supposed release date rolls around, it will have been three years since the last full installment in the series and two years since the Battlefield 2142 spin-off. The lack of XP support may be an irritant for some PC gamers but will be more and more commonplace going forward, especially into late 2008. Meanwhile, the OS X version makes sense considering EA pledged more Mac support at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this year.

The official story: An EA representative had not returned request for comment as of press time.